An unseeded Egyptian pair were the unlikely contesters of the WSA Tour5
Swiss Open final held at the Geneva Squash Club in Switzerland
yesterday.
Mariam Ibrahim Metwally and Salma Nassar each beat three seeded players
on route to the final, which 16-year-old Mewally claimed in four games.
The teenager began her Swiss Open campaign in a ruthless fashion,
beating No.8 seed Julia Lecoq in straight games, with the Frenchwoman
registering just nine points against her opponent. Metwally’s form
continued into the quarter-finals where she stunned top seed Siyoli
Waters, ranked 65 places above the Egyptian, in another three-game
encounter. Still yet to drop a game in the competition, Metwally then
dispatched third seed Laura Pomportes in the semi-final round, to reach
her first ever WSA World Tour final.
Her final opponent would be world No.114 Salma Nassar, who had seen a
similar run to her compatriot on route to the final. Also yet to concede
a game, Nassar defeated second seed Gaby Huber in round one, followed by
wins over No.6 seed Maud Duplomb and No.4 Birgit Coufal to reach her
third WSA final.
The 21-year-old Nassar fell just short in a narrow opening game to the
young teenager, with Metwally taking the early advantage 11-9. The teen
the doubled her lead with a more dominant second, before Nassar hit back
with a third game win to make her mark on the contest. The older
Egyptian was unable to utilise the momentum shift however, as Metwally
dominated the fourth and final game of the contest to close out the
victory.
This is Metwally’s first WSA World Tour title of her career, following a
maiden final appearance for the world No.106.